Never Forget
by Lady Carlton
Summary: Detective Danny Williams wasn't exactly a sentimental guy, but he would allow his memories to flood his mind at least once a year, bringing him back to that particular Tuesday. The month was September. The year, 2001. Rated T just to be sure..


**This is something that I thought abou while watching "World Trade Center" and it was later inspired by the songs "**_If You're Reading This_**" by Tim McGraw and "**_Never Let Go_**" by Bryan Adams.**

**Guess it can be considered slightly AU just because Steve is not in jail.  
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**Before we get to the story, I'd like to state the fact that I'm not an US citizen and I can't even imagine what happened that Tuesday, 10 years ago. Also, I don't actually know how the Ground Zero looks like at the moment.. I know about the pools and that's pretty much it. So, if things aren't portrayed with accuracy, I am so very sorry.**

_Also, I feel the need to say it: even though I wasn't born in the US, I consider the 9/11 a very delicate subject.. So I hope I didn't offend anyone with what I wrote here. I don't think I did but I thought I should let you all know, just in case.._**  
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><p><em>"We say goodbye, but never let go<em>  
><em>we live, we die, cause you can't save every soul<em>  
><em>gotta take every chance to show that you're the kind of man who<em>  
><em>will never look back, never look down<em>  
><em>and never let go"<em>

Bryan Adams - **Never Let Go**

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><p>"Hey, Danny. We're going to Kawena's to have a beer.. Will you come with us?"<p>

It was Friday and Kono's offer was very appealing, especially after the tough case they had.

"Thanks, Kono, but I'll pass it this time.."

Steve was in his office, but his keen eyes watched that scene and when Kono left Danny alone, he noticed something different in his partner's expression.

"Hey."

Danny raised his eyes from the papers that were forming a small pile on his desk. He saw Steve occupying the place where Kono was standing not seconds ago.

"Hey," he replied with little enthusiasm.

"You okay?"

"Yeah.. Yeah, I'm great."

Steve didn't believe a single word he heard from Danny's mouth but, for the first time, he didn't argue.

"Look, I have some day offs so I think I'll use them now. If you don't mind."

Steve agreed with a nod. "Sure. I don't mind." He knew his partner well enough to know that he'd be back next Monday so he wasn't really worried about his sudden decision to take a couple of days off.

Thanking Steve for his approval, Danny focused again on the papers. He wanted to get that work done by the end of the day since he'd be flying back home the very next day.

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><p>Detective Danny Williams wasn't exactly the sentimental type of a guy, but would allow his mind to wander, taking a bumpy ride into his past at least every once in a year. He didn't feel ashamed of that. He would never feel ashamed of that memory not even for one second.<p>

So, when he found himself inside the airplane that would take him back to the mainland and eventually, back to his home, he knew what was bound to happen and he didn't try to keep the memories from coming back and flooding his mind.

He was still just an officer in New Jersey when it happened. The unexpected tragedy that happened in his beloved country.

The day was Tuesday. The date was September, 11. 2001. The day that New York, DC, the United States of America and the world stood still. And he remembered it perfectly and vividly. Every single detail that marked his life forever.

**xxx**

It was just another Tuesday in the life of Officer Williams. Actually, it wasn't exactly just any other Tuesday.

His shift ended at 5:00 AM and it was his day off, so he had plans of going back home and crawl into bed and have some sleep; later, he'd go out and have a nice and pleasant lunch with his family which he didn't get too see very often due to his job at the 23rd Precinct, so he would just chill and enjoy the free time.

Except, those things would never happen. At least not that day or the next weeks or months.

.

Danny was back home at 5:45 AM of that Tuesday - it had taken him a little longer to leave the precinct - and he went straight to shower then bed. The last thing he saw was his nightstand clock showing the time, it was 6:23 AM and then he was gently embraced by the warmth of his sheets and he fell asleep immediately.

He was knocked out in his bed; Danny slept like a rock and was completely off to the world around him - except for his cell phone. It was the only thing that would connect him to the world. And it rang while he was still in bed.

But the pillow had somehow ended up on top of it and its noise was muffled by that so he didn't hear it the first time. Nor the second, to be honest. Only when it was ringing for the third time, Danny had switched in bed and his arm was near it and he felt it vibrating.

Half asleep and half awake, Danny fished for the little object in the bed. He didn't even got to see who was calling because his eyes were still hazed with sleep so he just answered it mechanically.

"Williams." His sleep voice showing clear signs of frustration for being awake after a little over two hours of sleep.

"_DANNY!_ Ohmygoddanny!Thankheavensyou'realright.."

Except for his name being yelled when he answered the phone, Danny could barely make sense out of anything else. Rachel's British accent combined with her sobs and a high pitched voice were turning the simple task of understanding what she was saying a damn hard mission.

She was still speaking and Danny was still not having a clue what she was talking about when he sat on his bed and rubbed his face, trying to get rid of some of the tiredness.

"Rachel. Rachel. Relax." He had to say those two words a little louder because she wouldn't listen to him over her fit. "Take a deep breath. I can't understand a word of what you're saying so breathe." Even though he could still hear her sobbing on the other side, at least she had stopped her crazy and damn fast talk. "Okay.. Now talk to me. What happened? Why are you crying?" He almost added _'and acting like a lunatic'_ but he decided not to.

"Danny. God, Danny, where are you?" Rachel's voice was a little bit under control but he could almost feel the tension. She was struggling to keep herself just calm enough to talk to him.

"I'm at my apartment, Rach. What's going on? What's happening?"

"What's happ- You don't know?"

In some alternate reality, an alternate Rachel was hearing _"Hell, of course I don't know. I was sleeping before you called!"_ but not this Rachel. In this reality, Danny just waited for her to keep talking. And what Danny heard in response to his question was so surreal that he thought that she was joking.

"An airplane flew into one of the Twin Towers!"

"Wait, what? What are you saying, Rachel?"

"It's all over the news, Danny! The police is sending all its personnel to work on that."

Whatever traces of tiredness had left his body and Danny was now very well awake. Climbing out of bed, he went to his room to turn on the TV.

Rachel wasn't lying. An airplane indeed flew into one of the Twin Towers, and, while he was watching, a second plane did just the same.

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL?"

"They say it's a terrorist attack.. And I needed to check on you. I knew you were in New York yesterday.."

She was right. Danny had been to that place not too long ago.

He was a New Jersey Officer but there was an event and, because his father was a retired Lieutenant and the last place he worked was the NYPD, Danny was allowed to go there.

Now he could perfectly understand Rachel's reaction.

"I'm alright, Rach. Don't worry, okay."

"When you didn't answer your phone, I thought.." Danny heard the sobs again and knew she was crying. He couldn't possibly imagine what she had been through.

"Hey, I'm fine, alright.. Calm down. I'm alright." When he was saying those words, he heard a little beep indicating he had a new message. When he looked at his phone, he noticed it wasn't the first message - it was the fifth.

Without reading any of it, he had a fairly good idea what was it.

"Rach, I have to go no.."

"Oh God. Danny, please, don't."

"I have to, Rach." He knew he was breaking her heart and adding more worry to her already fragile state, but he couldn't help. It was his job. More than that, it was his country; he took an oath to protect it and he would to that no matter what. He cared about Rachel so much, but this was bigger than just the two of them.

"Danny.."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

After a couple more minutes, he hung up and checked his messages. Two of them were to let him know that Rachel called; three were missed calls from the precinct he worked.

Danny called it back while getting dressed. Even before speaking to his superior, he knew he would be required to go back to work.

Less than thirty minutes later, Danny was on his way, not exactly back to work, but to New York.

.

What he saw when he got to New York, to be more precise, a block away from the World Trade Center, was complete chaos. People running from and to the two buildings, parts of the airplanes and from the towers.

Never in his life, Danny thought he'd go through something like that. It was way too unrealistic. And the thing became more astonishing and surreal when the towers went down.

Standing not too far from it, Danny saw that happening right in front of him. One of the symbols of New York and of the United States of America, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

One minute it was there - the next, it was gone.

When both towers weren't there anymore, and even before that, Danny felt powerless. He was in shock with the proportions of that hideous act.

It wasn't not only an attack against the city and the citizens of New York - and, how he found out later, against Washington DC. It was an attack against a whole nation. It was an affront against humanity and mankind, because many people died that day. Innocent people. Children. Women. Men.

People whose future was taken away in the most vicious way. Families were destroyed with no mercy.

.

What he witnessed that day would be forever in his memory. Danny would never forget any second of that Tuesday.

He saw people jumping out of the building, from floors that were way too high for a minimal chance of survival.

He witnessed people losing their lives, loved ones and peace of mind.

He saw innocent lives being taken away in a blink of an eye.

He saw pain. Despair. Death.

Everywhere he turned to, there was only destruction, ruins and death. New York City looked like a war zone. There were people bleeding, crying and yelling for help under what once were two impressive buildings. Now they were nothing but a huge pile of concrete and twisted metal that was in the middle of the victims and the people who were there to rescue them. Sadly, the rescue didn't come to everyone.

Danny lost friends that day. Brothers. Sisters. People who were there to provide help lost their lives in order to help those in need. Fallen heroes. True legends.

In the end, Danny was still breathing, but part of him died on the 9/11.

When the Twin Towers came down, it created a hole, not only in the city of New York, but also in every one who was directly or indirectly affected by that.

For weeks, Danny felt empty on the inside. Eventually, he found out that, just because he managed to survive that day, he wasn't whole. He was wounded, and it wound would leave a permanent scar that could not be seen. It wasn't a physical wound - it was emotional.

.

Going through all the things that Danny William went through could have broken him. But it didn't. Not him.

Danny grew with that. Sure it was a devastating and brutal event, but after he lived through that, and seeing how the people stuck together after that tragedy, it made Danny to want more and more to be a cop.

Because after what he lived along with the citizens of New York and many other places, they saw how people can be kind. People stuck together, not only New Yorkers, people from many other cities and even countries offered a helping hand and that was the main lesson that Danny decided to keep to himself: they went through a living hell, but they survived. With help and hope, they survived. And because of those two things, they would stand tall no matter what. Because, despite all the evil in the world, there is still some good. And that was more than enough for him to never let go.

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><p>It was 8:46 AM on Sunday and the now Detective Danny Williams was back to the Ground Zero, standing in front of the memorial that was built to honor those who lost their lives ten years ago.<p>

He wasn't standing alone. By his side were others who were there that day and helped as many as they could; they were Police Officers, Firefighters, men and women from the Armed Forces, Doctors, Paramedics, civilians. Each and every one of them did what they could to offer help to those in need and now were there to pay a tribute to those who weren't there anymore.

It's been ten years now that it all happened.

Looking around, Danny can still see vividly the images from ten years ago. But he can also see the changes in the place. And it brought the New York mayor words back to his mind. A day after the attack, Giuliani proclaimed "_We will rebuild. We're going to come out of this stronger than before, politically stronger, economically stronger. The skyline will be made whole again_." And it happened. The two pools were the Twin Towers used to be; they would never be filled and the water would fall endlessly like the tears of those who were there, lost people, fought for their lives. The names of everyone who had their future interrupted on that day forever written on the cold steel – over two hundred names that would never be forgotten. The museum with what was found after the attack, that would show everyone that you might fall, but you can always stand up. **Always.**

.

After the tribute, Danny stayed there a little longer. Like it was expected, he didn't get a minute alone - many people were there as well, but he was so caught up with his thoughts and memories that he wasn't exactly paying attention to what was going on around him. He didn't even notice when a tall man approached him; he only saw him when he stood by his side.

"What are you doing here?" asked Danny to his partner, Steve McGarrett. "How did you find me?"

"For a detective, Danny, you can be incredibly dumb sometimes," replied Steve with a half smile. "There is only one place in the world you would be right now.."

Danny shifted his eyes to the ground and smiled humorless. "Right," he whispered.

Silence fell upon them and they didn't try to break it. The embraced and enjoyed it for a long while.

After ten minutes or so, Steve's voice brought an end to the quietness.

"I'm proud of you, Danny."

Frowning, Danny turned to look at Steve. "What for?"

"For what you did to this country, this city and to its people." Danny saw that his partner was serious. "I wasn't here so I can only imagine what must have been being a part of that day.. You're brave. Courageous. And I'm proud to stand by your side right now."

Danny shifted his eyes back to the monument that held the names of those who lost their lives that day. He didn't try to brush away the tears that were coming and he didn't try to hide when they fell from his eyes.

They didn't represent weakness. It was just another way to let those who were now in Heaven to know that he would never forget them.

"Thank you," he told Steve after a moment. Danny's words came from the bottom of his heart; it meant a lot to him that he was there. Even though they annoyed the hell out of each other, Danny had Steve like a brother and the fact that he flew all the way from Hawaii to New York was just another proof that they were indeed _ohana_.

Both men stood side by side at Ground Zero. They didn't speak much and, honestly, there wasn't much to be said. Words weren't really necessary; just their presence there was more than enough to send the message their hearts and souls were holding.

That what happened that Tuesday, time would never erase. Not even ten, a hundred or a thousand years later. And those who lost their lives, even though they were gone, would always live in people's memories, in that Site Memorial and in History.

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><p><em>"If you could hear me, I would say that our fingerprints don't fade from the lives we've touched."<em>

Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) - **Remember Me**

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><p><strong><strong>AN: ****__Like I already mentioned, I hope it didn't offend anyone in any way possible. T_o those who were somehow involved and affected by the events of 9/11 ten years ago, I am so terribly sorry. I wish I could do more or say something more beautiful but sadly enough I lack that ability. So, from the bottom of my heart, I am so terribly sorry for your losses. Much love to all of you._


End file.
